1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device which holds flexible tubing in a coiled state and yet permits quick uncoiling and recoiling of the tubing. More particularly, the present invention relates to a clip, permanently mounted to a piece of flexible medical tubing, which has channels for firmly holding the tubing in a tight and easy to access coil, yet wherein the channels are shaped and oriented such that a user pulls on one end of the tubing to quickly uncoil the tubing and use it for its intended purpose.
2. The Prior State of the Art
Flexible medical tubing is widely used in many procedures in modern hospitals, doctors, offices and the like. Although capable of being used for a variety of applications, medical tubing is frequently used to deliver intravenous fluids to a patient via a catheter. In this context, it is necessary for the tubing to remain completely sterile. At the same time, the tubing must be readily available to the medical technician for its intended purpose.
One example of such an application is arterial angiograph. This procedure involves injection of an x-ray sensitive dye into a catheter positioned in an artery to enable a clinician to observe accurately if obstructions are present in arteries, veins and ducts in various organs. A motor driven syringe, or infusion pump, is used to infuse the dye into the catheter.
Connected to the infusion pump is a portion of sterile flexible medical tubing. This piece of tubing is configured with a standard luer connector at each end. During initial set up procedures as shown by way of Example in the FIG. 1, one end of the sterile tubing 16 is connected to the infusion pump nozzle 14, and the opposite end 20 is left unconnected. However, it is imperative that the tubing remain sterile. Thus the tubing cannot simply hang from the infusion pump nozzle 14 because of the possibility it will come in contact with the infusion pump 12 or console 21, or some other non-sterile surface.
To prevent the tubing from coming in contact with a non-sterile surface, the prior practice has been to wrap the tubing 18 into a coil and to then tie-off the free end 20 by entwining it about a portion of the coil. This procedure has proven unsatisfactory for several reasons. First, the coil of tubing 18 often becomes unwrapped, either because it has not been tied of sufficiently or it is inadvertently knocked and uncoiled by a technician. As a result, the tubing may come in contact with a non-sterile surface and must be replaced. This wastes time and materials.
Another problem with the prior practice occurs when the technician must prime the pump with the injection dye. This is done by holding the bottle of dye with one hand and uncoiling the free end 20 of the tubing and placing it in the bottle with the other. This is often awkward and difficult to do, especially where the technician is rushing to complete the procedure.
Thus, the prior practice of tying off the end of the tubing to hold it in a manageable coil is often cumbersome and ineffective. The inability to quickly access the coiled tubing or a frequent need to replace a contaminated tubing adds both cost and time to the entire angiogram procedure.